Brick Oven gets OK from panel

A proposed city business moved a step closer to becoming a reality after the city's Planning Commission made a recommendation to forward to city council the site plan approval recommendation for the Old Kennel Brick Oven.

A proposed city business moved a step closer to becoming a reality after the city's Planning Commission made a recommendation to forward to city council the site plan approval recommendation for the Old Kennel Brick Oven.

Timothy J. Howell, 216 Sutherland St., appeared before the commission last month trying to get approval so he could construct a commercial kitchen to include his brick oven. However, numerous questions were raised.

“We met with Dale Stuart (city manager and zoning officer) and went over the ingress and egress requirements and the parking requirements,” Howell told the planning commission Monday night.

Stuart said there was understanding between Howell and the city, but the planning commission has the final decision.

However, the final part of the process cannot be approved until paving is completed on a required parking lot.

“We cannot complete the storm control until we know the actual layout,” Stuart said. “There is a requirement for one parking space and we are suggesting at least one for a handicapped spot as well for a total of two.”

Howell told the planning commission last month the request for a site plan was being made after his wife started baking artisan bread and then wanted to sell it consumers.

Because the Howells want to sell the bead locally and at farmers' markets, the state's Department of Agriculture said a commercial kitchen had to be constructed.

“We are trying to deal with the ordinance requirements without putting the new business in peril for existence with upfront costs that aren't upfront safety requirements,” Stuart said. “My recommendation is for two years for the completion of ingress and egress and the parking pavement is immediate.”

Howell told the commission that the paving of the parking area immediately was not an issue.

“We need to come up with a time for the ingress/egress road,” he said. “We want to give ourselves as much time as possible.”

Chairman David Kronberg said he understood that with a long drive, time is needed.

“I think you are going to have such a great increase in business that two years should be plenty,” said commission member Billie Livingston. “I think it is a wonderful business and I understand the hardship of building a building and meeting all these requirements.”

Commission member Jim Maynard said the panel needs to be careful with the multi-year extension.

“We don't want another one like we had,” he said of another business. “We gave them two or three years to pave and now they may not pave at all.”

Commission member Paul Tranquilla said it may be difficult to get a loan to meet the requirement if the extension is too short.

Page 2 of 2 - “If they need to get a loan, no bank will give them one without two years of being in business,” he said. “Three years would be more acceptable.” When Howell was asked if he could do it in two years, he replied, “we will do our best.”

A motion was made to recommend the site plan approval to city council with several stipulations including two parking spaces with one being handicapped; within two years to have a 25-foot wide ingress/egress road; council should not take these recommendations as a template for other businesses; and the storm water flow control plan has to be approved by the city.